Advantages: On their own, glass and cement are stout materials, so when combined, they become a durable duo with a life expectancy of 50 years or more. The material resists both heat and scratches. Some manufacturers, such as Vetrazzo, offer ultimate style flexibility, allowing you to choose the pigments and glass for a custom counter uniquely tailored to your kitchen. These are guilt-free counters, as more than 75 percent of the content is from post-consumer recycled content, which keeps waste out of landfills. Sustainability: This is one of the greenest choices for your kitchen counters. Because it's comprised primarily of postconsumer recycled content, it keeps material out of landfills, and unlike many other countertops, it has no petroleum-based chemicals or resins. While there is some mining involved for the limestone-based cement, the cement comprises less than 25 percent of the product, so the environmental impact from mining is less than that of stone counters. But take note that these heavy cement-based slabs can consume a lot of transportation-related energy, so it's worth being aware of where the product is manufactured.